A most remarkable 11 nights on Vision OTS, Feb 4-15, 2013

[Darkwolfe]

Well, it has ended. Darn the luck. But while it lasted, it was a very very enjoyable time on Vision of the Seas. Now, Trainman and Darth Grady both have done most excellent reviews on this ship and I'm not about to claim I'm anywhere near their quality, but we had a blast and I want to share.

 

I hope everyone gets some entertainment out of what will be a fairly long winded and many pictured review.

 

Some pre- review notes-

I did not take food pictures. Primarily because food is incredibly subjective, so it's very hard to get a good consensus on many things. Overall, I found the food to be excellent, but there was the odd item here and there that didn't fit my taste. Such was true for everyone in our group. Secondly, our cruise was the last cruise with the old menus. No point reviewing something that is now gone! ;)

 

We do get out and roam the ports as much as we can, but admittedly, we started getting tired towards the end of the cruise, so details for Bonaire and Aruba are a bit lighter than the other ports.

 

So with that said, off we go!!:D

 

Early morning at 35k feet by Wulfgar28, on Flickr

[Darkwolfe]

So as many cruises do, we started off our vacation in Fort Lauderdale. It's a convenient spot to cruise from with the airport and cruise port being very close to each other. The weather is usually quite pleasant this time of year, places to stay are reasonably priced, and food runs the gamut from fast fare to gourmet dining.

 

Flights were remarkably decent on the way to FLL. That remark is coming from someone that hates flying so you know it must have been a good trip!

 

Seen from the window just past New Orleans--(Dummy me forgot to take a similar picture of NOLA when we flew over. DOH!)

Mississippi River Delta by Wulfgar28, on Flickr

 

Amazingly, at our connection in DFW, we only had to go one gate! I knew I should have bought a lottery ticket!

 

DFW Airport by Wulfgar28, on Flickr

 

After we arrived in FLL, we collected our bags and then picked up our rental car from Budget before heading off to the Best Western Plus in Oakland Park.

 

Admittedly, I could have probably gotten a hotel much closer to the port, but this place turned out to be clean, comfortable, and not overly crowded. They had a decent breakfast set out every morning. That's a big item in my book. It was also nicely coated with palm trees.

 

However, while it appears that there is a restaurant on the front of the property, there is not. "Macarena's" is simply the breakfast room.

 

P1000967 by Wulfgar28, on Flickr

 

DSCF0007 by Wulfgar28, on Flickr

[Darkwolfe]

Incidentally, while I wait for pictures to upload, feel free to ask any questions that come to mind. I'll answer as best I can.:)

[Darkwolfe]

Goofing off around Ft Lauderdale... We had arrived on Saturday February 2. I note that my brain managed to leave that little detail out completely!

 

We decided to do something completely touristy and took a Sunday morning cruise on the Jungle Queen. At $20pp it's an amusing way to spend a couple of hours puttering around the Intercoastal Waterway and doesn't take itself too seriously. The narrator's humor pokes some fun at the housing and yachting habits of those with too much money for sanity (What a potentially delightful ailment to have!). Also some shots of the port and various places in town.

 

P1000965 by Wulfgar28, on Flickr

 

P1000916 by Wulfgar28, on Flickr

 

P1000927 by Wulfgar28, on Flickr

 

P1000920 by Wulfgar28, on Flickr

 

P1000963 by Wulfgar28, on Flickr

 

A busy day at the port! I was glad we did not have to embark on a day this busy.

[Darkwolfe]

Included on the Jungle Queen river cruise was a stop at their "tropical island". It's really just a little place tucked off in the residential areas of the Intercoastal Waterway, but amusing enough with a monkey or so, some birds, and a little bit of alligator wrestling....

 

P1000934 by Wulfgar28, on Flickr

 

P1000939 by Wulfgar28, on Flickr

 

Hmm... An alligator... Looking entirely too complacent... One wonders..

 

P1000933 by Wulfgar28, on Flickr

 

Ah, the reason for the alligator's complacency, it knew this stunt was coming up soon. When done successfully but the human part of the show, it's called an "Everglades Smile". But if the alligator wins the day, it's called a "Face Off"!! :eek:

P1000956 by Wulfgar28, on Flickr

 

Fortunately for the human members of the crowd, our 'gator wrestler won the day. The alligator would have to wait for another chance...

[KirkNC]

Thanks for the report!

[Darkwolfe]

And I'll wrap tonight with a few pictures from our chosen afternoon lunch stop, The Pirate Republic Bar and Grill. It started a few years back as a souvenir shop behind the Quarterdeck on Los Olas near the beach (I get a kick out of pirate-themed things and have a shirt from when it was a shop). But it has moved into town and become this place. A bit out of the way from the main streets, but it was well worth the finding.

 

Shot from the Jungle Queen...

P1000929 by Wulfgar28, on Flickr

 

DSCF0067 by Wulfgar28, on Flickr

 

DSCF0068 by Wulfgar28, on Flickr

 

DSCF0072 by Wulfgar28, on Flickr

 

IMAG0160 by Wulfgar28, on Flickr

 

Very good food and plenty of scalawag and wench jokes to keep one amused. We had fun here. BTW, the flag seen on the back of Vision when we sailed? Ya, guilty. That was me and the flag was from here.:D

 

Until tomorrow!!

[JimAOk1945]

I'm enjoying you review and pictures. I'm looking forward to your next post!

[Coralc]

Darkwolfe! Thank you so much! Can't wait, can't wait, can't wait. We are flying to FLL on the 23rd to board Vision on the 25th.:D

 

Those pirate statues look like the same designer as Mountaintop in St. Thomas. :D

 

~Patti :)

[suzyluvs2cruise]

Darkwolfe....looking forward to your pictures and review!

 

Darkwolfe! Thank you so much! Can't wait, can't wait, can't wait. We are flying to FLL on the 23rd to board Vision on the 25th.:D

 

Those pirate statues look like the same designer as Mountaintop in St. Thomas. :D

 

~Patti :)

 

Patti.....take good care of Vision....we board on March 8. :)

[Coralc]

Darkwolfe....looking forward to your pictures and review!

 

Patti.....take good care of Vision....we board on March 8. :)

 

We are excited Sue. It sounds like they will start the new menus with our cruise. I thought they were starting them on yours.....I didn't know we were going to be the guinea pigs. :rolleyes::D

 

~Patti :)

[suzyluvs2cruise]

We are excited Sue. It sounds like they will start the new menus with our cruise. I thought they were starting them on yours.....I didn't know we were going to be the guinea pigs. :rolleyes::D

 

~Patti :)

 

I wasn't sure when the new menus would roll out to Vision. We've had them and enjoyed the changes. Hope you do too! :)

[Darkwolfe]

I wandered back in for a minute.. The new menus started on the sailing that departed on Feb 15th.

 

Our MDR server Lenuta (who you will hear much cheerful things about) was talking about it with us. Quite a challenge for the MDR staff to switch over so I hope they are doing ok with it.

[Coralc]

Thank you Darkwolfe. You're right. It's that calendar math thing again. :)

[Trainman-2]

Now, Trainman and Darth Grady both have done most excellent reviews on this ship and I'm not about to claim I'm anywhere near their quality

 

 

I think you are doing a great job!

 

 

The Vision is a great ship and after its dry dock, it will be even better.

[Darkwolfe]

I think you are doing a great job!

 

 

The Vision is a great ship and after its dry dock, it will be even better.

 

Thanks for the encouragement Trainman! :)

A 35 day dry dock from what I heard on board.

[Jax129]

So looking forward to your review!!

[justluv2cruisewithhubby]

great review so far can't wait to read more.

[Darkwolfe]

Thanks for the good marks and good humor folks! On we go!

 

Now where did I leave off??... Oh yes, two nuns, a bar, and a bottle of Bounty rum... Oh wait, different tale.. ;)

 

So after lunch at the Pirate Republic, we did some quick shopping at the mall near our hotel, then picked up some Chinese food for dinner and landed in some chairs near the pool while we ate. Later on we drifted into nearby pub for a few drinks and a football game I'd rather planned to ignore, but it all worked out good in the end and we had a fun evening.

 

The next morning, we had breakfast at the hotel before loading up and leaving. The first day it had been quite busy, but a number of people had left on Emerald Princess that day too, so we had the room to ourselves. This made it a bit more relaxed breakfast.

 

P1000968 by Wulfgar28, on Flickr

 

Once that was done, we tossed our bags in the car and headed off to the Budget office just two blocks from where Vision was now docked. It was early. It was actually silly early. We were standing on the pier at 8:30am! That wasn't in the plans, but we can truthfully say that we were the first people there for whatever that's worth. We were not alone long. Other cruisers joined us within about 30 minutes and there was some general joking about driving the people working the pier nuts by being so early.

 

Shot across the channel from the pier.. That's the way out!

P1000969 by Wulfgar28, on Flickr

 

While being so early could have been an irritant, it really wasn't. The weather was fantastic, with just a bit of a breeze and low 70s for temps, so no one was at all put out by standing around for a while.

 

P1000970 by Wulfgar28, on Flickr

Spielberg's "Candlewalk" yacht there on the left.. Black hull. (For those interested)

 

P1000971 by Wulfgar28, on Flickr

 

And a little bit of Vision herself now. You can see the rest of my little group in the bottom right corner. Nobody wanted to start the cruise with a fresh sunburn. Some of us burn all too easily!

 

Next up- "Check in and boarding" or "You want to see my what?"

[Darkwolfe]

Actually, in all truth, check in was very easy. Once the pier personnel were ready to start taking bags, we got everything tagged (ya I left my printed ones at home... On the table, next to my brain... :o ), handed off to them and headed over to the Pier 4 door directly opposite the ship.

 

Once the doors opened about ten, we had a short line for security. Wine flew through without a second glance and it was check in time. Our agent had computer trouble and had to redo things on another terminal, but it was a minimal delay and we had the paperwork details completed and were plopped in the waiting area in relatively short order once the doors opened.

 

We had time enough for bathroom breaks and to catch a few CC hellos and hmm, it was time to board! On my list, this is the earliest I've ever managed to board a ship. We crossed the gangway at 11:45am. This rocks! :D

 

Almost....

P1000972 by Wulfgar28, on Flickr

 

And we are aboard!

P1000985 by Wulfgar28, on Flickr

 

A quick note.. This gangway is very steep going to Vision. Plan ahead for this if you have any mobility issues at all!! I don't, but I could see that some folks had a little trouble making the climb.

 

Where we started the morning at the pier... Not very many people have arrived yet.

P1000979 by Wulfgar28, on Flickr

 

Next up- "Simple Living" or "Did I get demoted??"

[Darkwolfe]

In all of my previous cruises, I've had a balcony cabin at the very least and a very nice JS on Enchantment once. I had wondered if I was going to be disappointed by an outside on deck 4, but I was happy to discover that it mattered not at all.

 

Connecting cabin 4062....

P1000974 by Wulfgar28, on Flickr

 

P1000975 by Wulfgar28, on Flickr

 

Storage for 11 nights was quite adequate for two people and the window set up was such that you could toss a pillow on the sill and look out very easily.

 

My only complaint about the cabin was the bedding. Ouch!! I do believe a concrete slab would have been softer. Let's hope that improves with the refit. While it made it rather hard to sleep, I wasn't about to let it ruin my vacation.

[lemonade-sails]

Awesome review and pictures so far! :)

[Darkwolfe]

Time to take a fast look around the ship!

 

P1000982 by Wulfgar28, on Flickr

 

P1000984 by Wulfgar28, on Flickr

 

P1000977 by Wulfgar28, on Flickr

 

P1000986 by Wulfgar28, on Flickr

 

P1000987 by Wulfgar28, on Flickr

[Darkwolfe]

It has been noticed that there has been a strange little trend on CC with random birds seen on various cruises. Not being one to willingly break that trend, here are a couple of the feathered folk encountered in and around Fort Lauderdale.

 

The ubiquitous pigeon, which could quite literally be called a flying rat at times.

P1000938 by Wulfgar28, on Flickr

 

"MINE!!" No not yours, you flying garbage can.. Shoo!

P1000910 by Wulfgar28, on Flickr

 

Times are so bad the pelicans are forming fish lines.

P1000966 by Wulfgar28, on Flickr

 

Be back later on with more around the ship and our first port of call, Antigua.

[RedHeadTexan]

Great review so far! I can't wait to read about the ports since we will be doing the 11 day on the Legend in January.

 

Lisa